Wednesday, January
24, 2017
But in spite
of this there is still hope for Israel.
Ezra 10:2b(NLT)
Get up, for
it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are
behind you, so be strong and take action.
So Ezra stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests and the
Levites and all the people of Israel swear that they would do as Shecaniah had
said. And they all swore a solemn oath. Then
Ezra left the front of the Temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son
of Eliashib. He spent the night there
without eating or drinking anything. He
was still in mourning because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles. Ezra 10:4-6(NLT)
So far this week we have seen
the failed spiritual condition of Israel, and how the only recourse they had short
of God’s hand of judgment was to repent and return to their covenant vows with
God. We in America have also gotten
ourselves behind that 8-ball!
Notice that Ezra the leader
lost his appetite over the sin of his people.
Fasting is not a practice talked about much any more. Perhaps it is because we are not a people
that deal well with self-denial. We do
not deny ourselves much in this country.
Perhaps that is why God is not blessing America and America's
churches. Over 80% of American churches
are plateaued or declining in membership.
I'm certain you could think
of at least as many excuses as I can as to why fasting is old fashioned and outdated. I only leave you with the thought that
perhaps if we put aside our fascination and dependence on material things, even
for a little while, God might once again send the showers of blessing – who knows?
But, somehow the message of
repentance got through to the people.
Shechaniah urged Ezra to follow through with helping the people to know
how to repent. The fact is, beloved, it
is not enough for us to look at the terrible conditions in America, conditions
of our own sinfulness, and shake our heads, cluck our tongues, even shed some
tears.
It isn't enough.
There comes a time when we
must get up. There must be a time of arising from the
ashes of our spiritual nonsense and get busy doing repentance.
Years ago I served a church that
used to be known as Phoenix Baptist
Church because it was located on Phoenix Ave. Part of our prayers often were that we would
be like the ancient mythical bird, the phoenix, that arose out of its own ashes
to a new life. It is corporate
repentance and corporate returning to the covenant with God that can make a
person, or a church, or a nation spiritually alive again.
Together, hand in hand we
must weep for our own sins, and the sins of our nation, and the blindness of
this generation.
Together we ought to fill altars
with knees and tears.
Together we ought to cry out
to Almighty God for forgiveness.
Together we must repent and
confess our sins one to another, if we expect God to do anything with
this sin-sick land in which we dwell.
For You Today
When is the
last time you saw an altar filled with church members praying?
NOTES
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